Bugs keep on buggin' so my Hemiptera total is getting dangerously close to entering the bottom end of the PSL hemiptera charts. Parent Bug and Birch Shieldbug both fell into my net from birch yesterday with a bit of persuasion - both species apparently with only one county record before. That's surprising, but I bet I can add both from next year's square (NT1887 - the square where it all began).
It's a schoolboy truth that to maximise your results you should cover all the habitats with all the methods and I've been very lax on beating, relying heavily on active searching and maybe a bit of sweeping at low level. On the plus side that means a switch of tactic has lead to instant gains. .
So the new target is to creep into all-time 3rd place during the next 10 days.
(Edit! I forgot that yesterday I saw a rock that looked promising for Aepus and I found one. Sadly I caught the one example on the end of my finger and the wind took it. Fife has both species, so I'll have to go back and check the same area of rocks)
Numbers:
| 1282 | * | hemiptera | Psallus betuleti | A mirid bug |
| 1283 | * | hemiptera | Ribautiana ulmi | A leaf hopper |
| 1284 | fungus | Melanoleuca polioleuca | A mushroom | |
| 1285 | * | coleoptera | Salpingus planirostris | A beetle |
| 1286 | * | insect-other | Nineta flava | A lacewing |
| 1287 | fungus | Lactarius tabidus | Birch Milkcap | |
| 1288 | fungus | Clitopilus prunulus | The Miller | |
| 1289 | * | hemiptera | Elasmostethus intersinctus | Birch Shieldbug |
| 1290 | * | hemiptera | Elasmucha grisea | Parent Bug |
| 1291 | harvestman | Oligolophus hansenii | A harvestman | |
| 1292 | * | harvestman | Opilio canestrinii | A harvestman |
| 1293 | hemiptera | Psylla ulmi | A psyllid on alder |
Love Salpingus, just such cool looking beetles! Good luck on a podium position by end of month.
ReplyDeleteTwo new for county (and for me) Salpginidae this year. There was only one before. Cracking little things.
DeleteAye, I added planirostris and ruficollis to the Skye list last year. I (vaguely) know Jonty Denton, he's the national scheme recorder. He said something like, "Thanks Seth, but what the hell are you doing way up there?" :)
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